Applicance for men&#39;s trousers



J. B. KOEHNE.

APPLIANCE FOR MEN'S TROUSERS,

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22. 19w.

1,340,276. Patent ed May 18,1920,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. KOEHN E, OF NEXV LONDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

APPLIANCE FOR MENS TROUSERS.

Application filed September 22, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. KoEHNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New London, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Appliances for Mens Trousers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to appliances for mens trousers and is designed for use by bow-legged or knock-kneed men to conceal such deformities and to overcome the effect on the trousers produced thereby.

The object of the invention is to provide an appliance of this character which may be attached to the trousers and which may be adjusted to conceal the deformity in the limbs of the wearer practically regardless of the degree of such deformity.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Fi ure 1 illustrates the lower limbs of a bowegged person, illustrating the appliance attached to the trousers worn by such person.

Fig. 2 illustrates the appliance removed from the trousers.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of that portion of the appliance which is adapted to engage and support the trouser legs in straight lines.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The appliance as used for concealing the deformity of bow-legged men consists of two pendant tape members 10, 10, adapted to be positioned within the trouser legs between the inner side of the limbs of the wearer and the adjacent sides of the trousers. These pendant tapes 10 extend from the sock of the wearer, to which they are attached by suitable clasps 11, up to the crotch of the.

trousers where their upper ends are connected by elastic straps 12, supported on the crotch of the trousers. As the two tape members are identical in construction only one need be described, the same reference numerals indicating like parts of the two members.

The tape member is formed of three sections, the upper and lower end sections 13, 14 and an intermediate connecting section 15, the upper sections 13 of the two members and the elastic straps 12 being connected by relatively narrow tapes 16, although if de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Serial No. 325,496.

sired the tapes 15 may be dispensed with by increasing the length of sections 13 and taching them directly to the elastic straps 12. Preferably the intermediate section 15 is composed of two layers of soft material 17, 18 attached to the proximate ends of the end sections but entirely free of each other intermediate those points of attachment. Embedded in each of the layers 17, 18, at the edges of the latter, are longitudinally extending elastic straps 19 which tend to prevent creasing or collapsing of the layers and if desired there may be secured on the inside of one of the layers an additional reinforcing member 20 of any material that will impart a small degree of rigidity to the intermediate section and at the same time be capable of being easily flexed in a manner and for a purpose to be presently described.

Located between the two layers 17, 18 of the intermediate portion of the tape, and attached to the proximate ends of sections 13, 14 are a plurality of elastic members 21. The normal length of these elastic members is less than that of the layers 17, 18 so that the latter, due to being reinforced by the strands of elastic 19 and member 20, are caused to bow or pucker in opposite directions, one lying against the wearers limb and the other against the trousers. As heretofore mentioned, two layers 17, 18 are preferably employed but if desired one only may be used in which case the end sections 13, 14 will bear against the limb of the wearer and the intermediate section will be held bowed outwardly against the trousers. When the wearer is standing or walking the appliance will conceal the deformity of his limbs and when he is sitting down the elastic J connecting members 21 permit the end sections 13, 14 to move farther apart and take up any looseness in the intermediate section so that the entire tape lies flat and no bulge appears on the exterior of the trousers.

The appliance thus far described ell'ectually conceals deformities of slight degree but to render it capable of satisfactorily accomplishing that result when worn by one having deformities of relatively large degree, there is provided a long elastic member 22 which has its upper end detachably secured to the upper section 13 of the tape and is slidably secured to said upper end section, and has its lower end attached to the lower end section 14 of the tape. When the appliance is used to conceal a deformity of any appreciable degree the upper end 17 18 having thus being adjusted, depending upon the degree of the deformity, the upper end of elastic 22 is again fastened to the upper section of tape 10.

Secured to the lower sections 1% of members 10, adjacent claspsll, are additional fastening means 23 of any desirable type by which the lower ends of members may be attached to the trouser when the latter are not being worn. This holds the members 10 in proper position in the trousers so that when they are put on the ends 14: may be easily grasped andclasped to the wearers socks.

When the appliance is to be worn by knock-knead persons the two members 10 are detached at their upper ends and positioned on the outer sides of the limbs of the wearer, their upper ends being attached to the wearers apparel by any suitable fastening means.

What is claimed is:

1. In a trouser distending device the combination of a pendant tape member adapted to be supported within the trouser leg between the limb of the wearer and the side oi the trouser leg, said member comprising longitudinally spaced end sections and an intermediate section formed of a plurality of layers of material connecting the end sections, and means for bulging the layers of the intermediate section out of alinement with the end sections. 7

2. In a trouser distending combination of a pendant tape member having its intermediate portion formed of a plurality of layers of material, means for bulging or puckering the layers of the intermediate section in opposite directions and out of alinement with the end sections, and means for moving said end sections toward and away from each other to increase or decrease the bulge in the intermediate section.

3. In a trouser distending device the combination of a pendant tape member consistdevice the I ing ofend sections and an intermediate sec tion, longitudinally extending elastic members adapted to bulge the intermediate sec tion out of alinement with the end sections, and means for adjusting the end sections toward and away from each other to vary the bulge in the intermediate section.-

4. In a trouser distending device, the combination of a pendant tape member comprising an intermediate section adapted to be bowed out of alinement with its end portions and means for bowing said intermediate section outwardly, said end sections being adjustable toward and away from each other to vary ,the outward movement of the intermediate section.

5. A garment distending device comprising pendant tape members adapted to be supported within the trouser legs between the limbs of the wearer and the trouser legs, the intermediate portion of each of said tape members being formed of a plu ralityof layers of fabric directly connected to the end portions, means for normally holding the layers of fabric of the intermediate portion of each member in spaced relatiommeans for securing the lower ends of the tape members to the wearers socks,

and elastic connections between the upper ends of said tape members adapted to extend over the crotch of the trousers.

6. In a trouser distending device the combination of a pendant tape member having end portions and a flexible inter mediate portion connecting the end portions and means for bowing said intermediate section outwardly between its ends.

7. In a trouser distending device the combination of a pendant tape member having a flexible intermediate p OIllilOII, H1GELI1S for bowing said intermediate section outwardly, and meansfor decreasingthe distance between the ends of the intermediate section to increase the outward bow of said section. 8. A trouser distending device comprising a pendant tape member having end portions and an outwardly bowed flexible intermediate portion connecting the end portions, the ends of said intermediate portion being adjustable toward and away from each other to increase or decrease the outward movement of said intermediate portion.

JOHN B. KOEI-INE 

